The Watson Weekly: eCommerce Strategy & News

From Banking to AI: The Future of Agentic Commerce with Gareth Cummings

Jan 28, 2026

Gareth Cummings, CEO of eDesk and former CTO who built domain-specific language models, talks tech and commerce. He covers the early days of AI for support, the shift from growth-at-all-costs to profitability, why trust beats price, the rise of TikTok Shop and authentic engagement, and how agentic commerce may let AI make purchases for consumers.

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ANECDOTE

From CTO To CEO By Solving Problems

Gareth Cummings described moving from CTO to CEO as an organic evolution driven by solving the hardest problems over time.
He accepted the CEO role when founder Ray Nolan suggested it and found the transition natural because he'd long been commercially involved.

INSIGHT

Power Of Domain-Specific Models

eDesk built a domain-specific language model for e-commerce starting in 2018 focused on orders and customers.
Narrow, domain-trained models plus embedded workflows outperformed broad but unfocused approaches.

INSIGHT

AI Expectations Have Inverted

Customer attitudes flipped from AI skepticism to expectation; buyers now want AI to handle the 80% and humans the 20%.
This raises both demand and ever-rising expectations for AI capabilities.

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In this episode of The Watson Weekly, Rick Watson sits down with Gareth Cummings, CEO of eDesk, to discuss the massive shift in how brands interact with their customers. From pioneering domain-specific language models in 2018 to navigating the rise of TikTok Shop and Agentic Commerce, Gareth shares a masterclass in staying ahead of the tech curve.

Gareth Cummings is the CEO of eDesk, an AI-native customer support platform built specifically for e-commerce. With a background in banking and telecom, he brings a unique, data-driven perspective to online retail.

In this interview, you’ll learn:

The Evolution of AI: Why customer skepticism has turned into an expectation for AI-driven support.

Surviving the SaaS Slump: How e-commerce brands are pivoting toward profitability and value.

TikTok & Authentic Engagement: Why new channels are essential for building brand trust in 2026.

The Rise of AI Agents: What happens when AI starts making the purchases for us?

Chapters / Timestamps

0:00 - Introduction: Meet Gareth Cummings, CEO of eDesk

2:15 - Career Evolution: From Banking and Telecom to E-commerce Tech

5:40 - The Early Days of AI: Building Language Models in 2018

9:25 - The Shift in Consumer Mindset: From AI Skepticism to AI Expectation

13:10 - Navigating the Modern SaaS Economy: Profitability vs. Growth

17:35 - Building Brand Loyalty: Why Trust Outperforms Price

21:50 - TikTok Shop and the Power of Authentic Engagement

26:15 - Turning Support Data into a Business Strategy Engine

30:40 - The Future of Agentic Commerce: When AI Does the Shopping

35:20 - Leadership Advice: Embracing the Pace of AI Change

38:45 - Closing Thoughts and Where to Follow Gareth

The Watson Weekly is sponsored by Rithum. In commerce, timing is everything. That’s where Rithum comes in. We help brands and retailers keep every channel connected, so when the moment comes, you’re ready to act—launching faster, adapting quicker, and growing smarter.

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#Ecommerce #AI #SaaS #CustomerSupport #TikTokShop #AgenticCommerce #TheWatsonWeekly #WatsonWeekly